The Fed Mission Success Round Up: IRS and IT Modernization; Boosting the Bioeconomy; and a Civilian Cyber Reserve

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers.

IRS Taxpayer Advocate Says Congress Shortchanged IT Modernization Efforts

Lawmakers did not allocate the $80 billion provided to the IRS in the right way, claims National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, adding that IT modernization and taxpayer services aren’t getting the money they need.

Emerging Technologies to Underpin Biden Plan for US Bioeconomy

Technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning  and quantum sensing play a key role in the new federal plan for a stronger U.S. biomanufacturing sector. 

Lawmakers Propose Civilian Cyber Reserve to Bolster DoD and DHS

Senate lawmakers introduced a legislative package to establish civilian cybersecurity reserve pilot programs within the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to help bolster the federal government’s cyber resilience amid a national shortage of high-skilled cybersecurity personnel.

DoD Partners With GSA to Get Sustainable Products to Agencies

Last week, officials from the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding designed to make sustainable technology products more easily available through federal acquisition programs.

Soldiers Can Now Steer Robot Dogs With Brain Signals

A breakthrough that enables a human to guide a robot merely by thinking could help troops on a future battlefield  to communicate with a wide array of sensors, vehicles, and robots—all while the enemy is looking to intercept radio communications. 

FTC Seeks Info on Cloud Computing Market’s Influence

The FTC is seeking insights on commercial cloud providers’ business practices, including the market power of companies that include Amazon, Microsoft and Google, as well as competition and potential security risks.

Public Sector Work Equals High Job Satisfaction

Public sector employees find their work fulfilling and enjoy the benefits provided, according to a recent survey from the MissionSquare Research Institute, a nonprofit that studies government workforce issues.

In case you missed it, here are our latest blog posts: 

• Women’s History Month Video Podcast: A Candid Take on How Women Can Succeed in IT

• Video Podcast: Current State of Zero Trust and Use Cases for Government

• PODCAST: A Candid Take on Impact of ChatGPT on Government IT

• Federal CIO: Accelerating IT Modernization and Customer Experience in 2023 — Makpar

• PODCAST: History of Zero Trust and Government (Part 2) — Makpar

• VIDEO PODCAST: Get Certified – Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Practitioner Certification Tips — Makpar — Makpar

• PODCAST: History of Zero Trust and Government (Part 1) — Makpar

• INFOGRAPHIC: How to Turn Epics Into User Stories in Agile Process — Makpar

• ACT-IAC CX Summit: Bringing the Three S’s of Government CX to Life — Makpar

• Makpar Honors National STEM Day with Pledge to Bring More Women Into Government IT 

• PODCAST: Rise of MLOps in the Federal IT Arena

• Makpar Cybersecurity Forum Video Podcast: Insights Into Zero Trust and Government

• Infographic: The Top 5 Government Cybersecurity Fundamentals 

• A Deep-Dive into the HHS Artificial Intelligence Use Cases 

• Honoring National Coding Week: Makpar’s Innovation Lab Code Challenge Win 

• PODCAST: Advancing the Customer Experience (CX) for Government with

• Q&A: Makpar’s Generative Culture with Nickolas Sibley, the Agile Coach & Trainer at Makpar

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) Taking Hold in the Government Arena 

Makpar has over a decade of experience providing high-level strategic and project management services, focused on cybersecurity and cutting-edge technologies. Please contact us here for more information about how we can enhance mission success for your agency.